Summary

This side event to the UNESCO’s International Scientific Conference held in Paris will be linked to the Spanish MOOC “Bajemos la temperatura: Por qué se debe evitar un planeta 4°C más cálido”, a World Bank Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) scheduled for June 8 - July 13, 2015. This interactive online learning experience is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants. The course is based on the “Turn Down the Heat” reports prepared for the World Bank Group by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics. Taking participants from theory to practice, the MOOC not only offers the latest scientific knowledge but also the practical skills needed to understand the observed changes in the climate system, their causes and immediate consequences, and the projected medium to long-term impacts for development. Through this MOOC, the World Bank aims to reach a broader audience and raise awareness of the climate change challenge, with a special focus on the climate impacts and policy responses in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region.

In this context, the proposed side event aims to connect participants of the MOOC with climate scientists and policy makers from Latin America who will be attending the live event in Costa Rica, and with the UNESCO Conference participants. Through web streaming, all the participants will have the ability to follow along and interact through discussions with the live audience of LAC country officials and climate change experts gathering at INCAE business school in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The side event will be organized into two main parts. First, panelists will present the “Turn Down the Heat” reports outcomes and summarize the science behind the climate change impacts and their implications. Then, the speakers will present and discuss the different available policy responses to climate change that can assist the LAC region to increase climate resilience and support a low emissions development pathway.

It is now clear that without action on climate change, the world may become 4°C warmer by the end of this century. Such an increase would threaten to roll back decades of development progress; thus, we are at a ‘make it or break it’ point in time. Come and join us to understand better what we can do to respond to the climate change challenge.

More information

Higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and more frequent extreme weather-related disasters—climate change is a reality NOW. This Massive Open Online Course in Spanish, based on the World Bank’s “Turn Down the Heat” report series, presents the most recent scientific evidence as well as some of the opportunities for urgent action to potentially prevent irreversible damage to our planet. This course includes a regional module with a specific focus on the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Beyond the course materials and the access to expert facilitators, one of the most important resources will be the interaction with other participants and the social media tools that will enhance communication among participants.Here is the link

The “Turn Down the Heat” reports, prepared for the Word Bank by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics, provide snapshots of the latest climate science. The three reports warn that without concerted action, temperatures are on pace to rise to 4°C above pre-industrial times by the end of this century. The first report (2012), looks at the risks of a world 4°C or even 2°C warmer. The second (2013) examines the impact on Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia. The third (2014), finds that about 1.5°C warming is already locked in and explores the impact on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.Here is the link

Key outcomes

A live event was held in INCAE Business School in Costa Rica the 3rd of July 2015, as part of the first World Bank’s Spanish MOOC titled “Bajemos la temperatura - Por qué se debe evitar un planeta 4 ºC más cálido”. The MOOC counted with 6,683 participants registered, representing 87 different countries, 86% of which were from emerging economies.

The course provided a synthesis of the most recent scientific evidence related with climate change and presented an analysis of likely impacts and risks, with a focus on developing countries and the Latin America and the Caribbean region.

The freely available course utilized many pedagogical elements, including interactive video talks, readings, downloadable resources, quizzes, peer-reviewed assessments, online discussion forums, social media and this interactive side event held in INCAE Business School.

Report

Please find hereunder the report of the side event including the follow-up actions.